Redbridge council has handed more power to planners at the expense of local councillors. Photograph: Photonica

Abolishing regional planning committees was one of the first decisions I made as the new leader of Redbridge council.

We made the decision last week to streamline the planning process, not cut out input from local residents. We will still include local people in decision making because larger and more complex applications, and those with a large number of objections, will still be determined by local councillors on the regulatory committee. Residents will still be able to object to applications and these will be considered as part of any decision.

But it means we will no longer have a situation where an application could have been passed if it was heard in one part of the borough but not in another – all applications will be dealt with in the same way.

The council has to quickly find new ways of working more efficiently and this decision helps us do that. Not only does it save £45,000 at a time when we need to be making as many savings as possible, but it gives the power back to the people that have the knowledge and the expertise to deal with them.

It also cuts out unnecessary layers of red tape. In too many cases, simple applications are complicated by bureaucracy. This new system cuts that out, and hopefully makes it a simpler, easier to understand process for residents.

It also hands back more responsibility to planning officers. I understand and appreciate the need to have councillors involved in larger, more complicated or controversial applications, and this will still happen. However, there are many applications in the past that could have been approved or rejected by a planning officer much earlier in the process.

Planning officers have the knowledge and background to make informed decisions on development. It doesn't make sense to give to councillors, who don't have that knowledge, the responsibility for these decisions. It's not about making decisions behind closed doors, it's about giving the people with the right knowledge the power to make those decisions.

Naturally, more applications will be handled through the regulatory committee so we will also be making sure the regulatory committee are properly resourced to cope with the new demands on it.

We understand some people have concerns, as is the case with any new system, but I am confident it will work. Councils have to find new ways of working smarter and more effectively. It's very easy to keep things the same for fear of change, but some decisions make sense, both financially and from a service perspective. If something can work better by doing it differently, then we need to be making those changes.